Here’s our verdict on Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated new movie

You'll finally have your chance to see it this week.

An adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem of the same name, the film starts years after the sack of Troy. While fighting for the Greeks in the 10-year-war against Troy, fierce warrior and King of Ithaca, Odysseus (Matt Damon), presented the Trojans with a massive wooden horse, as a peace offering.

This was a lie, however. Odysseus and his men hid within the horse, using it to breach Troy's massive fortifications. Days after the horse was dragged into Troy, the soldiers snuck out and opened the city's gate, leading to its invasion and capture.

10 years after this, however, Odysseus has still not returned to his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), in Ithaca. As such, rumours have begun to spread that the king is dead, with dozens of suitors (chief among them, Corey Hawkins and Robert Pattinson) for the Queen gathering in her palace to ask for her hand in marriage.

Under Zeus' Law (also known as Xenia, the Greek concept of hospitality), Penelope and Telemachus are obligated to treat these suitors as guests, even though many are brutish and rude. Fed up with this, Telemachus embarks on a journey to uncover more information about his father's disappearance.

At the same time, the story cuts to Odysseus on an island with a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron). Without his crew and struggling with his memory, the soldier tries to recall his past, feeling deep in his bones that there is somewhere else he needs to be.

Watch the trailer for The Odyssey right here:

The Odyssey begins with the title card: "A time of apparent magic." It then cuts to rapper Travis Scott as a bard, distilling a tale of Odysseus down to its most essential, primal elements. As Ludwig Göransson's earth-shaking score rumbles, the bard declares: "A war. A man. A trick. A trick to break the walls of Troy. And burn it..."

It's one of the most striking movie openings in recent memory, and it really sets the stage for what's to come. That's because Nolan's latest epic infuses the fantastical, wondrous, and horrifying elements of the Greek poem with his trademark sense of authenticity, tactility, and viscerality. In short, this is a film about the man at the heart of the myth.

Fans of Homer's epic can be assured: Yes, there are supernatural elements in The Odyssey, and they are presented via a string of jaw-dropping sequences as Odysseus and other characters recall the past. We get the Cyclops (Bill Irwin), Circe (Samantha Morton), the Sirens, a trip to Hades, and lots more.

This blend of royal court intrigue, war film, fantasy flick, and character study stitches beautifully together, thanks to Nolan's ingenious use of flashbacks and Jennifer Lame's phenomenal editing. This all culminates in a thrilling last act full of dramatic showdowns and cathartic heart-to-hearts that is immensely satisfying (even as, like other Nolan movies, the dialogue seems pitched slightly low in the sound mix).

The cast are terrific. A ripped Matt Damon brings a haunted, sad soul to his fierce warrior. In an absolutely sprawling cast, the clear standouts are Corey Hawkins, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton, and Tom Holland.

There haven't been many great depictions of Greek myth on screen, so it may sound like damning with faint praise when we say The Odyssey automatically feels like the definitive one.

In that case, we'll also say The Odyssey is everything one should want in a blockbuster. The movie is full of dazzling, stylish spectacle, while its story is told with clear thought, intelligence and heart. See it on the biggest screen possible.

The Odyssey is out in cinemas on Friday, 17 July.